Method of making a paint roller



March 18, 1969 l. M/EVENSEN METHOD OF MAKING'A PAINT ROLLER Filed Oct. 25, 1965 FIG.1

FIG. 5

INVENTOR l. M. EVENSEN BY- W :9 4%?! ATTO RN EYS United States- Patent 3,433,693 METHOD OF MAKING A PAINT ROLLER Ingwald M. Evensen, 195 Oakwood St., Port Colborne, Ontario, Canada Filed Oct. 23, 1965, Ser. No. 503,752 US. Cl. 156-242 Int. Cl. B44d 3/28; B29d 27/04, 23/08 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to a method of manufacturing paint rollers, and more particularly to a method of manufacturing paint rollers for painting wire fencing and the like. The invention also relates to a novel paint roller.

United States Patent No. 2,866,995, issued Jan. 6, 1959 to I. M. Evensen, discloses a paint roller having a grooved surface which is suitable for painting wire fencing and the like. This paint roller consists of a rigid cylinder having a plurality of spaced apart peripheral grooves. The portions of the cylinder between the grooves are covered with strips of sheepskin or other lanuginous or fibrous material. The fibrous strips overhang the grooves and substantially cover the grooves. The bottoms of the grooves are also lined with strips of fibrous material. However, the provision of grooves in the paint roller give rise to some manufacturing dilficulties thus increasing the cost of the paint roller.

It is the object of the invention to provide an improved method of manufacturing paint rollers having grooves. A further object of the invention is to provide a grooved paint roller that is durable and relatively easy to manufacture.

According to one aspect of the invention a method of manufacturing a paint roller comprises moulding a tubular core of foam plastic in an outer tube of relatively harder and tougher material so that the outer tube is secured about the core of foam plastic, and carving peripheral grooves in the outer tube and in at least the outer surface of the foam plastic core.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a mould, part of which becomes embodied in a completed paint roller;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of a partially completed pain-t roller;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of a strip of sheep-' material. Into the cavity 3 betwen the two tubes are poured the conventional ingredients which foam to provide a urethane plastic foam core 4 in situ between tubes 1 and 2, for example, the ingredients sold by Taylor Chemical Foam Industries Ltd. under the trademark Taylor Chemfoam. The foam adheres to the fibreboard tubes without need for additional adhesives. Into the outer tube 2 and the outer surface of the foam core 4 are cut three parallel peripheral spiral grooves 5 as shown in FIGURE 2. Strips of sheepskin 6 are then secured by an adhesive to the spiral ridges between the grooves 5. The strips 6 are of sufficient width to overhang the grooves at 6a (FIGURE 4), substantially covering the grooves. Other strips of sheepskin 7 are secured to the bottoms of the grooves 5. The bottoms of the grooves 5 are preferably rough to facilitate adhesion of the strips 7.

Before the sheepskin strips 6 are secured to the ridges, the inner surfaces 6b of these strips may be painted to stiffen the strips 6 so that their edges 6a tend to resist deflection and thus press against the wires 8 of a fence when it is being painted. The grooves 5 are the same distance apart as the wires 8 so that the wires register with and press into the grooves. Thus the wires are wiped by the wooly portions 60, 7c of the strips 6 and 7, and wet paint carried by the wooly strips is spread over the wires.

The relatively hard and tough fibreboard covering 2 can withstand rough treatment much better than the foam core 4, and thus the roller does not become worn and battered as readily as uncovered plastic foam. Also the fibreboard has an outer surface for which there is no difficu-lty in obtaining suitable adhesive to fix the strips 6 to the roller. The inner fibreboard tube 1 provides a satisfactorily strong support for journalling the roller on a handle 9.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A method of manufacturing a paint roller, comprising the steps of moulding foam plastic, within an outer tube of relatively harder and tougher material, into a tubular core secured within the outer tube, and carving parallel peripheral grooves in the outer tube and in at least the outer surface of the foam plastic core.

2. A method of manufacturing a paint roller, comprising the steps of moulding foam plastic, between the outer tube and an inner tube, into a tubular core secured to the outer and inner tubes, and carving parallel peripheral grooves in the outer tube and in at least the outer surface of the foam plastic core, the outer and inner tubes being of material that is relatively harder and tougher than the foam plastic.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2 wherein the inner and outer tubes are tubes of fibreboard.

4. A method as claimed in claim 3 wherein the foam plastic is a urethane plastic.

5. A method as claimed in claim 3 including securing strips of fibrous material to the outer tube between the grooves with the strips overhanging (and overhang) the grooves. I

No references cited.

EARL M. BERGERT, Primary Examiner. M. L. KATZ, Assistant Examiner. 

